Concurrent and prospective effects of multi-dimensional aggression and anger on adolescent alcohol use

• Published in: Aggressive behavior 2004-10, Vol.30 (5), p.356-372
• Main Authors: Swaim, Randall C., Deffenbacher, Jerry L., Wayman, Jeffrey C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; adolescent; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; aggression; alcohol; Alcoholism; anger; Biological and medical sciences; Medical sciences; Mexican American; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry
• ISSN: 0096-140X; 1098-2337
• DOI: 10.1002/ab.20090

This study examined the relationship between alcohol, anger, and aggression in high school students. Anger and three types of aggressive expression (verbal, physical toward people, and physical toward objects) were evaluated cross‐sectionally and prospectively, via structural equation modeling for relationships to alcohol use in Mexican American and white non‐Latino 9–10th (Time 1) and 11–12th grade (Time 2) students. At both times cross‐sectionally, anger and aggressive anger expression tended to correlate positively with alcohol use in each ethnicity/gender group. However, prospectively, aggressive forms of anger expression tended not to be related to alcohol use two years later. Only verbally aggressive anger expression was related to alcohol use two years later and then, only for Mexican American and white non‐Latino females. There was, therefore, little basis for causal links between aggressive anger expression and alcohol use in a general population of high school students. Aggress. Behav. 30:356–372, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.